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I was on a little ALC training ride this morning and overheard a conversation by 2 female riders.
The woman who had the encounter is a slightly newer rider and is not the most 'fittest' looking rider. She had stopped in Brentwood at Jamba Juice and was 26 miles into her ride and as she got off her bike, some La Grange cyclist who was sitting outside made several snide and insulting comments to her. I don't remember the exact things that were said, but they were condescending and inappropriate. He made fun of her and called her just a 'biker' and does she just ride on sidewalks, etc. Just a lot of trash talking because he was a RACER.
I was wondering (from the viewpoint of a woman) what would have been a good retort or action. I had thoughts of quickly raising my bike and putting my front chainring to the asshole's neck but thought maybe he'd come after me with an 'assault with a deadly weapon'. I also could just slash his tires and ride off.
Or, i could have pulled a 'Charles DeMarr' from Better off Dead and just started laughing at him uncontrollably.
Btw, the woman held her composure and was considering explaining to him that she was training for the 7 day Aids ride but realized this schmuck wouldn't understand or care so she walked away.
Side note: After speaking with a few La Grange guys, this guy evidently a well known dick and most of them don't like him and ignore him.
How am I not shocked. I'll admit I've done spandex rides with those La Grangers (it is an ass-kicking workout), but they couldn't make people feel more unwelcome. Maybe it's just a few that are dicks, but overall they don't do much to shake the image of the pretentious asshole roadie.
whenever i blow pass spandex on the bike path i pace them for a few seconds and say "LANCE! LANCE! OH YOURE NOT LANCE, SORRY! LOOKING FOR LANCE!" and then up my cadence back to normal and ride away.
i think i would have waited til that guy started riding. Then i'd pull in front of him and start taking off. Now of course he's going to want to beat me since he's a L337 RACER. But little does he know, i just shat my pants so when he tries to draft he'll get a whiff of decomposed YUMMINESS.
Why not just ask them why they say what they say? That should be enough. I know if we let this thread go on, it can turn into a roadie bashing session. We'll be doing the very same thing.
"excuse me, I seem to have lost my front carbon fiber campy deraileur (much french accent) and I noticed that you're a well equiped cyclist that undertands the importance of aerodynamic shoe booties, might I borrow your spare one?"
"what!? you don't carry a spare drivetrain of equal or greater performance with you at all times!?!"
"mine? oh I normally carry two sets plus I pull Lance Armstrong's off-season mechanic in a trailer behind me, but I had to use all the storage space for a case of 1982 Château Pétrus."
"by the way, your junk looks like cottage cheese frozen in carbonite"
That's kind of lame. It's not a roadie thing at all. It's a tactless, poor excuse for a human being kind of thing. Just because you are at another level (supposedly) in your hobby than someone else doesn't give you the right to belittle them because you feel that they aren't up to par.
I don't know how I would react if that happened to me. I think I would question the person as to why they would say that. No one knows another persons motivation for riding. It is foolish to think that you do.
You don't have to be nice others just because they ride. Just have some damn respect for them as a person and don't open your mouth when you think you have something clever to say.
I agree there are assholes everywhere. Even Ridazz shit talk about other Ridazz, it will happen.
It's interesting that you it was Kahala-La Grange, I had an interesting run in with one of their people this weekend at Ojai. Funny thing was it was not one of their racers but someone's wife/girlfriend. Just a rude inconsiderate fool. Looks like they don't discriminate. I sure it is not a Kahala La Grange thing, just an asshole thing.
Ummmm....I just thought about it and decided that while I wish my response would be as noble as Roadblock's suggestion, I would probably be more inclined to say something aggressively rude and stick my middle finger in his face. But I get mad easily.
I would recite california vehical codes at them thru a megaphone, and if they tried to respond I would kindly inform them that I can't hear what they are saying becasue they are not amplified! Get yer friend a MEGAPHONE!
I'm with Ms. Stephanie. I know that if someone is that much of a jerk to a stranger when unprovoked, ze is probably incorrigible. And it's best to ride your lovin' ass on to the glorious CRANK mob awaiting you,
It's pretty damn hard in the moment, and no one wants to be a pushover, so, I'm refining my Glare of Death, to be performed while hovering menacingly and hope that my peops will also silently hover and make the person extremely uncomfortable. Possibly eventually to apologize? I think I'll also get myself a blow dart weapon to secretly puncture tires...he doesn't deserve to ride.
Ooooo! I think we should all perfect our Glares of Death. Can you imagine the force if we all unleashed them together, at once? Instantaneous spontaneous combustion.
I think we are in denial if we don't think that the shit talking does not happen among ridazz. It might not happen as much but it happens. Just go to lafixed.
Just concerned that we have this 'holier than thou' mentality. It is the same elitist crap that some roadies fall into.
Ya' know, I feel kinda bad now for plowing past this old dude on a beach-cruiser, while going down the dirt-road from the post-office.
Wind was blowing and it was pissing me off, so I decided to make some headway before I consumed my share of sand for the day.
Long story short, as I recall looking in my eye-glass mirror, I noticed the old dude looked kinda upset over myself trotting past him like I was the Pony Express.
Perhaps I should've turned around and made him aware of the services this forum has to offer.
Oh well, like truck accidents and noodles strewn across a Utah freeway, another lesson to better job-performance in the near-future.
Next time you encounter this strapping lad, y'all should do this:
1) Get a couple of rida's, 3-9 of them that appear to be of somewhat, the same physical description.
2)Get them and their bikes to look almost identical to each other.
3)Post each rida at a different point along this guys given route.
4)Drop, fall back, come around a different corner 10-20 miles up, different rida drops him, then falls back.
Rinse, repeat, or just watch the opening of "Super Troopers" to know what I'm talking about.
Here's what I wish I did:
Calm expression, even toned voice. "Aren't you embarrassed?"
Here's what I ususally do:
Go for the jugular. I don't feel good about it after -- trading petty for petty never feels good. But it's what I usually do.
Here's what I did once that felt really fucking good:
Jump up and down and cackle and squawk and shimmy and woop and kakakakaka. Being drunk can really help you not care about stuff sometimes.
dunno what I would have done.... I probly woulda gone straight up to him, looked him in the eyes with a death grip, asked his name, then shoot a nice picture of his face.
who is this prick. i'll give him a good urban run challenge. i bet his weekend warrior ass doesn't have the skills to outmaneuver traffic like we everday lifers and messengers. I can take this guy on a treacherous course and either smoke him or make him slam into a bus or a car as i ditch him. fuck that prick! anyone knows him tell him to take me on and a few of my friends throught the rush hours of traffic in downtown l.a. FUCK YOU WEEKEND WARRIOR BITCH.
steve, don't know what good it will do but if you have a name or great description of the guy, i'm friends with the secretary of la grange and will give him a what's up about someone in his club... he has a lot of regard for his group and would want to know if someone was trashing their image.
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